Customs agents find moth in military shipment

Customs agents found a potentially harmful moth on a military cargo plane bringing equipment from Afghanistan to Naval Station Norfolk.

According to a Monday news release from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection public affairs office, the interception was notable because the moth species, Autophila ligaminosa, had previously never been found in cargo shipments entering the country.

The moth in question was "an adult male," according to the release. That means it could not lay eggs, that when hatched are "especially harmful as the (larvae) feed off of the leaves of plants and trees and could have disastrous results if introduced into a new environment."

But a top CBP official in Norfolk said the discovery means agents are on alert for a new potentially damaging species and a route by which it could reach American ecosystems.

"First-in-Nation pest discoveries are particularly noteworthy because it provides a real sample for future identification efforts and provides a glimpse into possible pathways to the U.S.," said Mark Laria, CBP's area port director in Norfolk.

Agriculture specialists at the CPB found the moth, which arrived almost two weeks ago at the naval station on a March 17 cargo flight. According to the news release, the specialists then took the specimen to an entomologist, who fingered it as an Autophila ligaminosa – a moth that is common in parts of the Middle East, South Asia, Russia and the Balkans.

The entire shipment was treated before it was moved along toward its eventual destination.

In February 2012 CBP agents found a red mason bee pupae in rolled up rug that was part of a shipment of household goods coming from the United Kingdom.